Bill 77 Passes Second Reading

(QUEENS PARK) Randy Hillier’s (MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox & Addington) Bill 77, The Kickstarting Public Participation Act, passed Second Reading in the legislature on Thursday. The bill will now move on to committee hearings, followed by a Third Reading. Upon passage of a Third Reading, the bill will lead to the establishment of a province-wide online crowd sourcing platform for municipalities and community organizations to use to raise funds for community improvement projects.

“Municipalities struggle to balance the competing needs of their budgets, which means many community projects are not always a priority, leaving citizens feeling disenfranchised,” explained Hillier. “Even community not-for-profits are facing fundraising issues as a result of new OLG rules, so civic crowdfunding fills this void to help these groups get back to supporting their communities.”

Crowdfunding allows groups and individuals to solicit donations and investment for projects online by setting donation tiers, goals and in some cases rewards. While this method started as a tool to finance projects by artists and entrepreneurs, it has since expanded to become used by humanitarian groups and municipalities to fund projects such as parks and community spaces.

“Making crowdfunding accessible to non-profits, service clubs and municipalities in the province will enable local communities to secure finances and gauge interest in public projects, while simultaneously empowering citizens to be more involved in community affairs and development,” proclaimed Hillier. “Enabling the mobilization of citizen ideas will inevitably have a significant impact on bringing meaningful improvements to the communities that need them the most.”